Metal-coating apparatus



oct. zo, 1925. 1,558,035

` E. R. MILLRXNG METAL COAT I NG APPARATUS Filed April 2, 1925 2Sheets-Sheet l ily. 1.

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@75W ATTORNEY Oct, 20l 1925.

- E. R. MILLRING METAL COATING APPARATUS Filed April 2, 1925 2Sheets-Sheet 2 Patented Od. 2,0, 1.925.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

EDWTN ROSS MILLRING, 0F ORANGE, NEW JERSEY, ASSIGNOR TO AMERICAN MACHINE& FOUNDRY COMPANY, AA CORPORATION' OF NEW JERSEY.

METAL-COATING- APPARATUS.

Application filed April 2, 1925. Serial' No. 20,220.

To all whom t mayA concern:

Be it known that'I, EDWIN Ross MILL- RING, a citizen of the UnitedStates, residing at Orange,'county of Essex, and State of New Jersey,have invented a new and useful Improvement in Metal-Coating Apparatus,of which the following is a speciiication.

This invention relates to an improvement in metal coating apparatus andit has for its main object the production of such an apparatus in whichthere is provided a bath of molten coating-metal, and means acting onsaid coating-metal to remove dross from its surface at the positionwhere coated material emerges from said bath, in order to keep thecoating-metal clean at this position and to eliminatethe necessity forthe use of protective oil when coating certain metals, and the firehazard when oil is so used. Another object of the invention is tosimplify the method of coating plate and reduce the cost of the finishedproduct.

With these and other objects not specifi' cally mentioned in view, theinvention consists in certain constructions and combinations which willbe-hereinafter fully described and then specifically set forth in theclaims hereunto appended.

Tn the accompanying drawings, which form a part of this specificationand in which like characters of reference indicate the same or likeparts, Fig. l is a plan view of an apparatus constructed in accordancewith the invention, and Figs. 2, 3 and 4 are respectively sectionalelevations taken on the lines 2-2, 3 3 and 4.-4 in Fig. 1.

In carrying the invention into effect, there is provided means forsupporting a bath of molten coating-metal such as lead or tin, or analloy of lead and tin, or any other metal suitable for protective metalcoating purposes, and means continuously acting on said coating-metal toremove dross fromits surface at the position where Coated materialemerges from said bath, as rapidly as said dross rises. In the bestconstructions contemplated, said means is removably associated with thebath so that it may be bodily lifted out when it is desired to let thecoating-metal cool in the kettle; said means includes two dross-drawingmembers partly submerged in the coating-metal on opposite sides of saidposition, and acting to draw the dross in opposite directions away fromsaid position, and means for actuating said members; said means furtherincludes mechanism for producing separation of the dross at saidposition, preferably by producing two circulating currents of saidcoating-metal and merging them into one at said position where theybreak in two, and in so doing, move any particles of dross which may beat said position away therefrom in opposite directions. The abovementioned devices and means may be widely varied in construction withinthe scope-of the invention, for the particular apparatus selected toillustrate the invention is but one of many possible concreteembodiments of the same. The invention, therefore, is not to berestricted to the precise details of the structure shown and described.A

l For the purpose of providing a bath of molten coating-metal to beapplied to material passed through said bath, there is provided a kettle5 for holding the molten-coating-metal, and this kettle may be heated bymeans not shown but commonly employed for this purpose in the art.

Removably associated with said bath is means continuously acting on themolten coating-metal to remove dross from its surface at the positionwhere coated material emerges from said bath, as rapidly as said drossrises. This means includes two side plates 6 and 7, spaced apart bysuitable tie-rods 8. The plate 6 is provided with angle brackets 9-9normally resting upon the upper edge of one of the walls of the kettle5. Similarly, the plate 7 is provided with angle brackets 10-10 normallyresting on the top of the opposite wall Vof the kettle 5. By means ofthe brackets 9 and 10, the various parts of the mechanism now to bedescribed are removably suspendr ed within the kettle 5.

The particular apparatus selected to illustrate the invention isdesigned to be used in coating sheet or plate metal, and a curved guide11 of well known type is provided for guiding the sheet or plate throughthe bath of molten coating-metal. This guide is provided with the usualapertures 12 through which the molten metal fio-ws into its interior. Atthe delivery end of the guide l1 are two feed-rollers 13--13 fast onshafts 14-14 journaled in the plates 6 and 7. Adjacent the plate 7, theends of the shafts 14 are provided with intermeshing gears 15-15 each inmesh with an idle gear 16, which in turn is in mesh with a pinion 17fast on a shaft 18 journaled in the plates 6 and 7. Adjacent the plate6, the shafts 18-18 carry and are driven by intermeshing gears 19-19,one of which drives a pinion 2O on a shaft 21 journaled i n the plates 6and 7, and the other of whlch 1s driven b a pinion 22 fast on a shaft 23journale in the plates 6 and 7. The shaft 23 carries a spiral gear 24driven by a spiral gear 25 on a short vertical shaft 26 which isjournaled in bearings 27 and 28 secured to the plate 6. At its upper endthe shaft 26 carries a bevel gear 29 in mesh with and driven by a bevelgear 30 mounted on a short shaft 31 journaled in a bearing 32 secured toone side of the kettle 5 before referred to. The short shaft 31 alsocarries a sprocket 33 'driven by a chain 34 which also overruns asprocket 35 mounted on av short shaft 36. `The shaft 36 is -rotated by.

means of a gear 37 driven by a pinion 38 on the armature shaft of anelectric motor indicated at 39. When a sheet to be coated is pusheddownwardly through the receiving end of the vguide 11, its leading endis bent by contact with the lower curved wall of the guide and directedto the feed-rollers 13-13 which seize it and pull the plate through thebath, causing it to emerge therefrom at a position above the saidfeedrollers, as clearly shown by the heavy line P indicating such aplate in Fig. 2.

The shafts 14-14 carrying the feedrollers 13-13 are mounted in dependingbars 40-40 and 41-41. The bars 40-40 are articulated at their lower endsat 42. Similarly, the bars 41-41 are articulated at their lower ends at43. Loosely passing through the upper ends of the bars 40-40, which reston the plate 7 is a bolt 44 provided with a spring 45 and nut 46, bymeans of which the bars {tO-*40, and consequently one end of thefeed-rollers 13-13, are pressed toward each other to grip a plate comingthrough the guide 11. Similarly, the bars 41-41 are provided with a bolt47, spring 48 and nut 49 for causing the other end of the feed-rollers13-13 to be pressed toward each other. l l 4 For the purpose of drawingthe dross away from the position at the surface of the coating-metalwhere the coated plate or f other material emerges from the bath, the

structure selected to illustrate the invention is provided with twodross-drawing cylinders 50-50, having smooth peripheral surfaces' partlysubmerged in the coatingmetal on opposite sides of said position andacting to draw the dross in opposite directions, as clearly shown inFig. 2. These dross-drawing cylinders are rotated in Koppositedirections by the gearing hereinbefore described. They act to draw'thethin film of rising dross from said position to themselves and to carrythis dross down into the molten metal at the submerged part of thecylinder surfares and up again to the surface of the bath behind saidcylinders, where it accumulates. When the apparatus is in operation, thefilm of'dross between the cylinders 50-50 is sothin as to be invisibleto the naked eye; in fact, it probably does not exist as a film at alltimes; but whether the rising dross is sutlicient to form a continuousfilm or not, it is drawn away from said position by the surface tensionset up by the action of the cylinders 5050, to the surfaces of which themolten metal does not stick, the surface tension referred to beingcreated by the friction of the cylinder surface on the molten metal. Toprevent particles of dross from being carried upv over the tops of thecylinders 50-50 into the cleanpool between them, there are provided twodoctors 5151,l supported by lthe plates 6 and 7 and just touching theperipheral surfaces of the cylinders in the usual manner.

In the apparatus selected to illustrate the invention, there is furtherprovided mechanism for producing separation of the dross at the positionwhere coated material emerges from the bath, and this mechanism acts byproducing two circulating currents of the coating-metal, merging theminto one at' said position, there permitting them to break up again intotwo currents. With this end in view, the shafts 18-18 are provided withcylinders 52-52 having uted peripheral surfaces 53, Wholly submerged insaid coating-metal. These cylinders operate on opposite sides of saidposition and are rotated by the gearing hereinbefore described, but at alower peripheral speed than that of the cylinders 50. The cylinders 52,produce two circulating currents of the coating-metal, as indicated bythe arrows in Fig. 2, the production of these currents being aided bymeans of fixed baiie plates 54-54 below the cylinders 53. and baffleplates 55-55 adjacent said position. The balie plates 54 are supportedby the plates 6 and 7, While the baiiie plates 55 are supported by thebars 40-40 and 41-41. As the two currents are merged into one at saidpoperfectly clean. But in practice it has been found that absolutelyclean metal is insured by the additional use of two circulating currentsof said coating-metal merged into one at said position and produced bythe cylinders 52-52 and its coacting baflie plates; and that when thesurface of the coatingmetal is thus kept absolutely clean, the necessityfor the use of protective oil is entirely eliminated, and of course thelire hazard due Mto the use of oil is also eliminated.

What is claimed is: Y

l. The combination with means for supportingA a bath of moltencoating-metal, of means continuously removing dross from its surface atthe position where coated material emerges from said bath.

2. The combination with means for supporting a bath of moltencoating-metal, of means continuously removing dross from its surface atthe position where coated material emerges from said bath, said meansbeing removably associated with said bath.

3. The combination with means for supporting a bath of moltencoating-metal, of means continuously acting on said coatingmetal toremove dross from its surface at the position where coated materialemerges from said bath, said means including two dross-drawing memberspartly submerged in said coating-metal on opposite sides of saidposition and acting to draw the dross in opposite directions, and meansfor actuating said members.

4. The combination with means for supporting a bath of moltencoating-metal, of means acting on said coating-metal to remove drossfrom its surface at the position where coated material emerges from saidbath, said means including two dross-drawing cylinders having smoothperipheral surfaces partly submerged in said coating-metal on oppositesides of said position, and means for oppositely rotating saidcylinders.

5. The combination with means for supporting a bath of moltencoating-metal, of means continuously removing dross from its surface atthe position where coated material emerges from said bath, said meansincluding mechanism for producing separation of the dross at saidposition.

(i. The combination with means for supporting a bath of moltencoating-metal, of means continuouslyv acting on said coatingmetal toremove dross from its Surface at the position where coated materialemerges from said bath, said means including mechanism for producing twocirculating currents of said coating-metal and merging them 4into one atsaid position.

7. The combination with means for supporting a bath of moltencoating-metal, of means continuously acting on said coatingmetal toremove dross from its surface at the position where coated materialemerges from said bath, said means including mechanism for producing twocirculating currents of. said coating-metal and merging them into one atsaid position said mechanism including a series ofbaile plates forcontrolling said currents.

8. The combination with means .for supporting a bath of moltencoating-metal, of means continuously acting on said coatingmetal toremove dross from its surface at the position where coated materialemerges from said bath, saidmeans including two members wholly submergedin said coating-metal on opposite sides of said position and acting toproduce two circulating currents of said coating metal and merging theminto one at said position, and means for actuating said members. l

9. The combination with means for supporting a bath of moltencoating-metal, of means continuously acting on said coatingmetal toremove dross from its surface at the position -where coated materialemerges from said bath, said meansincluding two cylinders having iutedperipheral surfaces wholly submerged in said coating-metal on oppositesides of said position and acting to produce two circulating currents ofsaid coating metaland merging them into one at said position, and meansfor oppositely rotating said cylinders.

10. The combination with means for supporting a bath of moltencoating-metal, of means continuously acting on said coatingmetal toremove dross from its surface at the position where coated materialemerges from said bath said means including two dross-drawing memberspartly submerged in said coating-metal'on opposite sides of saidposition, means for actuating said members, two members wholly submergedin said coating-metal and acting to produce two circulating currents 'ofsaid coating.- metal and merging theminto one at said position, andmeans for actuating said submerged members.

11. The combination with means for supporting a bath of moltencoating-metal, of means acting onsaid coating-metal to remove dross fromits surface at the position where coated material emerges from saidbath, said means including two dross-drawing members partly submerged insaid coating-metal on opposite sides of said position, means foractuating said members, two members wholly submerged in saidcoatingmetal and acting to produce two circulating currents of saidcoat-ing metal and merging them into one at said position, means foractuating said submerged members, and a series of baiie plates coactingwith said submerged members to control said currents.

12. The combination with means for supporting a bath of moltencoating-metal, of means acting on said coating-metal to remeans foroppositely rotating said cylinders,

two cylinders having luted peripheral suracesQwholly submerged in saidcoatingmetal on opposite sides of said position and acting to producetwo circulating currents of said coating-metal' and merging, them intoone at said position, and means for oppositely rotating ,said submergedc linders, the eripheral speedfof'said dross-drawing cylinders beingvgreater than that of said submerged cyhn ers. a

13. The4 combination with means for supporting a bath of moltencoating-metal, of

means continuously removing dross from its surface at the position wherecoated material emerges from said bath, and means for guilding materialto be coated through said 14. The combination with means for supportinga bath of-molten coating-metal, .of means continuously removing drossfrom its surface at the position where coated material emerges from saidbath, and means for guiding material to be coated through said bathincluding a curved guideway in said bath,

and a pair of feed rollers at the end of said guideway.

In testimony whereof, I have signed my name to this specification.

EDWIN ROSS MILLRING.

